Colonial Integration: The Native Soldiers under Governor Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera, 1635-1640

By the 17th century, the Spaniards in Manila had continued expanding both southward (Ternate in 1606) and northward (Hermosa in 1626). This expansion, however, stopped due to the prevalent Moro aggression in the different provinces of the archipelago. Hence, in 1635, Felipe IV sent Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera, as the new governor of the Philippine islands. With him were different soldiers from New Spain. In the islands, he was faced immediately with the most concerning problem —its military and the insufficiency of soldiers. This paper argues that Corcuera’s reforms treated the native soldiers with decency and honor to fully utilize them for the interest of the Spanish Crown —both in keeping order and conquest. Hence, they developed a mutualistic relationship where both benefitted from each other. This paper elaborates on the military problems which caused Corcuera to turn to the native for military recruitment. Further, it shows the relationship established between the governor and the indigenous soldiers who fought in his military campaigns in Mindanao and in the defense of Manila against Chinese insurrections. In writing this paper, I greatly utilized The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, by Blair and Robertson while other secondary sources such as the works of Mawson were used as well.